COPPER wire bandits have struck again on the North-East railway line.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Multiple services between Albury and Melbourne on Sunday were impacted by the latest round of copper wire theft on the Australian Rail Track Corporation-operated line between Wallan and Kilmore East.
The 7.05am Southern Cross Station to Albury service was delayed by about 55 minutes while the 6.35am Albury to Southern Cross Station was delayed by more than 80 minutes.
V/Line also confirmed the 12.05pm Southern Cross to Albury also departed late due to disruptions experienced earlier in the day.
Late, yesterday V/Line reported the lunchtime train was delayed by 84 minutes due to "vandalism at Kilmore East".
"Copper wire theft on the Albury line has resulted in significant delays to services today," a V/Line spokesperson confirmed.
IN OTHER NEWS
"We understand how frustrating this is for passengers and apologise for the inconvenience caused.
"These types of delays are extremely disappointing, and we are sorry our passengers' journeys have been impacted."
Passengers can seek compensation for delays of 60 minutes or more on V/Line services.
The ARTC was also approached for comment.
The removal of copper wire stops the signalling system from operating as normal and means trains run at slower speeds until repairs can be done.
Thefts on the North-East line have been commonplace for more than a year.
It is costing tens of thousands of dollars each year with stolen copper wire sold on the lucrative recycling market.
Measures previously used to combat theft include employing security patrols and having signalling technicians on standby.
V/Line passengers have experienced back-to-back months of major delays with only 32.1 per cent of trains running on time in August followed by only 43.6 per cent of trains being on time in September.
John Holland, McConnell Dowell and a Coleman Rail-Rhomberg Rail joint venture are in contention.
A start on the project mid-way through next year could coincide with the retirement of ARTC chief executive John Fullerton.
Mr Fullerton's resignation was tendered to the ARTC board recently.
"John has enjoyed a dedicated and successful engineering and business leadership career in the rail industry for 40 years including almost ten years at the head of ARTC," chairman Warren Truss said.
"He is a well-regarded and trusted executive right across the industry and under his tenure with ARTC has led a steep change in safety performance, customer focus and asset improvement.
"He has also been instrumental in putting in place the organisation and skills to commence Inland Rail."
